Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Ruby Soho

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida vs Ruby Soho from last night's episode of AEW Rampage. The winner of this match gets a shot at Saraya's AEW Women's Championship on Oct. 10. This match was OK except for the overbooked nonsense at the end with the spray paint and the ref bump. It was a competitive match and I don't think you can ask for much more than that. So why are they doing the title match in two weeks? Hikaru is currently in Japan for a Makai show. She will return by then. I would like to see Hikaru win the title because Saraya just isn't any good in the ring anymore. They let her win the title in England. It's time to get it off her. Hikaru can get a good match from anyone. Saraya can't do that anymore. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-K.Flay

 

Artist:K.Flay

Song:High Enough

Album:Every Where Is Some Where

Singer songwriter K.Flay has a quirky sound. It's maybe a little too quirky for commercial success. The 2017 single High Enough is her biggest hit to date. And she's not on a major label anymore so it's probably her only chart single. She was born Kristine Flaherty June 30, 1985 in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, IL. Her parents divorced when she was seven. Her mother remarried and she was raised by her stepfather. But her father was a guitarist so that influenced her to get into music. She studied psychology and sociology at Stanford University. She believed that most hip hop hits on the radio were "simplistic, misogynistic and formulaic" and she bragged to a friend that she could write similar songs. She started recording music on her computer and released a mixtape in 2005. She continued to self release music until a 2011 mixtape got her a deal with RCA Records. After releasing two EPs on RCA, K.Flay left due to creative differences. She described her time at RCA as "an ill advised marriage". She returned to self releasing her music with the 2014 album Life as a Dog. The album did pretty well for a self released album and K.Flay toured to support it. She was starting to get attention. Taylor Swift liked her 2015 song It's Strange and it appeared on the FIFA 16 soundtrack. And that's when Imagine Dragons leader Dan Reynolds came calling. Reynolds was starting his own label Night Street with Interscope distribution. And he wanted K.Flay to be his first signing. She released the 2016 EP Crush Me and the single Blood on the Cut appeared in the film XXX: Return of Xander Cage and other things. So now Interscope thought K.Flay had commercial potential. That led to the 2017 album Every Where Is Some Where. K.Flay toured to support it. High Enough reached #20 on the Alternative chart. K.Flay wrote all the songs. High Enough was produced by Dr. Dre protege Mike Elizondo. The album is available as a digital download. Interscope had to be disappointed with record sales. And after the 2019 album Solutions did worse, K.Flay parted ways with Night Street and Interscope. Since then she has released two albums on BMG. They used to own RCA. But now they are a publishing company who release occasional albums. It's kind of like K.Flay is self releasing again. BMG doesn't have a promotion budget and there are no sales expectations. Maybe that's what K.Flay wants, no pressure to produce hit singles. Her new album Mono was released a couple of weeks ago. It was written and produced by K.Flay. Here's the video for High Enough by K.Flay. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Evanescence

Artist:Evanescence f/Paul McCoy

Song:Bring Me to Life

Album:Fallen

Fallen was the 2003 debut album for Evanescence. It was certified Diamond and sold 17M copies worldwide. The first single Bring Me to Life was a top five hit. It was all downhill from there. They are still around but Evanescence has never been able to repeat that level of success. Singer and pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody were teens when they met in 1994 at a Christian youth camp in Little Rock, AR. They started working on music at Amy's home and then played local coffeehouses. They were acoustic at this point. But what Amy wanted to do was mix hard rock and symphonic music. She was influenced by Danny Elfman's film scores. Of course she wanted to use real strings. But they didn't have the money for that so they used keyboards. They decided to call themselves Evanescence. They were still a duo. They hired musicians for shows and made a couple of EPs to sell at shows. They also sent a demo out to record companies. These were mastered at Ardent Studios in Memphis and someone there played it for Windup Records A&R head Diana Meltzer. They signed Evanescence and moved Amy and Moody to Los Angeles so they could record an album. Diana liked Amy's voice but wasn't sure what else to do with them. It makes me wonder why they didn't sign Amy as a solo artist. It took two years to record Fallen. It was produced by Ugly Kid Joe guitarist Dave Fortman. Windup was jittery about marketing a hard rock band with a female lead singer. so they wanted Amy and Moody to bring in a male singer to share vocals with Amy. When they refused, their contract was cancelled and Amy and Moody went home to Little Rock. A few weeks later, Amy agreed to a compromise. 12 Stones lead singer Paul McCoy was brought in for lead single Bring Me to Life. The song appeared on the soundtrack of the 2003 film Daredevil. Bring Me to Life reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The third single My Immortal reached #7 Fallen was certified Diamond and sold 15M copies worldwide. The marketing sold Evanescence as "nu metal" with goth overtones. Amy Lee looked at herself as a singer songwriter with a big musical vision. Why was this such a big hit? Daredevil didn't hurt. That film was a big hit. Most listeners first heard Evanescence in the film. Of course the success didn't last. Moody wasn't getting along with Amy and left in Oct. 2003. So now it's her band. She brought in Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo for the 2005 album The Open Door. Meanwhile, Bring Me to Life won a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy and Evanescence was nominated for Best New Artist. Amy and Balsamo wrote all the songs on The Open Door. The album just wasn't as successful as Fallen. And that's how it went for Evanescence. The first album was huge but they were never able to come close to repeating it. The band is still around. Windup sold their catalog to Concord in 2013. Evanescence is on BMG and their latest album was released in 2021. So Amy Lee still leads a version of Evanescence. But now they are mostly a nostalgia act. "Oh, remember that song? Whatever happened to them?". Here's the video for Bring Me to Life by Evanescence.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Atlantic Starr

Artist:Atlantic Starr

Song:Secret Love

Album:Ultimate Collection

Atlantic Starr started out as a funk band. But by the time the 1985 single Secret Love was a top five hit, they were more of a smooth R&B band. It was the first of their three big hits. Atlantic Starr was from White Plains, NY led by the three Lewis brothers. David Lewis was on vocals and guitar. Wayne Lewis was on keyboards and Jonathan Lewis was on percussion. Sharon Bryant was the lead singer when they signed with A&M Records in 1978. At first they had success on the R&B charts but were unable to cross over to pop. Then Sharon Bryant left to go solo and was replaced by Barbara Weathers. Atlantic Starr originally had nine members. But for the 1985 album As the Band Turns, they got rid of the horns. The basic band was David and Wayne Lewis and Barbara Weathers. They brought in additional musicians as needed to record and tour. Wayne Lewis wrote most of the songs including Secret Lovers. Barbara and David Lewis sang lead. Secret Lovers reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and As the Band Turns was certified Gold. It was their biggest success to date. But it was their final album on their A&M contract and Atlantic Starr signed with Warner Bros. and scored a #1 hit with the 1987 single Always. The band was the same. But sometimes a label switch comes with a larger promotion budget. Atlantic Starr went on to score another big hit with the 1993 single Masterpiece. They faded after that and Wayne Lewis still leads Atlantic Starr today. This comp from Universal's Hip-O label has all their hits. Here's the video for Secret Lovers by Atlantic Starr.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jenifer Lewis

Artist:Jenifer Lewis

Song:Dig a Little Deeper

Album:The Princess and the Frog: Original Songs and Score

Actress Jenifer Lewis is known as The Mother of Black Hollywood because of the many times she has played mothers in films and TV. It is also the title of her memoir. She sings but singing has not been a big part of her career. She's never recorded an album. But she has toured as a backup singer. This appearance in the 2009 Disney film The Princess and the Frog is supposed to be New Orleans flavored. So it has a mostly black cast. Dig a Little Deeper is her big song in the film. She was born Jan. 25, 1957 in the St. Louis suburb of Kinloch, MO. She sang in the church choir as a child. She moved to New York in the late 70s. After appearing in the Broadway show Eubie, Jenifer played Effie White when Dreamgirls was in the early stages. When Michael Bennett moved Dreamgirls to Broadway, Jenifer was replaced by Jennifer Holiday. Jenifer became a Harlette, Bette Midler's backup singers. She toured with Bette and appeared in the 1988 film Beaches. She also performed in New York clubs. Jenifer moved to Los Angeles in the early 90s. She did mostly guest shots on sitcoms. She was a regular on the final season of A Different World. And she played Will Smith's Aunt Helen in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Jenifer was one of Whoopie Goldberg's backup singers in the 1992 film Sister Act. She played Tupac Shakur's mother in the 1993 film Poetic Justice and Tina Turner's mother in What's Love Got To Do With It despite the fact that Jenifer is only one year older than Angela Bassett. So mostly Jenifer has played mothers for most of her career. After appearing as Flo in the 2006 Pixar film Cars and in the 2008 Broadway production of Hairspray, Jennifer was cast as Mama Odie in the 2009 Disney film The Princess and the Frog. This was the first Disney animated film with a mainly black cast. Randy Newman composed the score and wrote all the songs. Dig a Little Deeper is Jenifer's one song in the film. The choir is credited as Pinnacle Gospel Choir but it looks like it was put together for the film. This album is available as a budget CD. Jenifer also appears on the spinoff album Bayou Blast. Jenifer continues to appear on films and TV. She does a lot of voice work. She wrote her memoir in 2017. Here's Jenifer Lewis performing Dig a Little Deeper in the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Schneider

Artist:John Schneider

Song:Country Girls

Album:Greatest Hits

Of course most folks should remember John Schneider from the hit TV show Dukes of Hazzard. Schneider and his co-star Tom Wopat launched music careers after the success of the show. Schneider scored four #1 country hits including the 1984 single Country Girls. He was born Apr. 8, 1960 in Mount Kisco, NY. He was the youngest of three boys. As a child, he put on magic shows and got into trouble for attempting to emulate Harry Houdini. His family moved to Atlanta and he attended high school there. At age 18, Schneider won the role of Bo Duke in the TV series Dukes of Hazzard alongside another newcomer Tom Wopat and veteran character actors James Best and Sorrell Brooke. At the height of the show's popularity, Schneider and Wopat both launched singing careers. Schneider was the more successful of the two. Schneider signed with Scotti Bros. Records with Columbia distribution. Scotti Bros. was home for the band Survivor. Schneider scored a top five country hit and top 20 pop hit with his 1981 cover of the Elvis Presley classic It's Now or Never. That was his biggest overall hit. But subsequent singles and the four Scotti Bros. albums didn't do well. So Schneider moved to MCA. And the key guy was veteran Nashville producer Jimmy Bowen. He produced all of Schneider's MCA albums. The 1984 single Country Girls was one of four #1 country hits for Schneider. That song was written by veteran songwriters Troy Seals and Eddie Setser. Seals is the brother of Jimmy Seals of Seals and Crofts and Dan Seals but he has had a lot of success as a songwriter. You can get all of Schneider's MCA hits on this comp. Of course Schneider has had a long acting career in TV and films. He still records for his own label. He was inactive after he left MCA in the late 80s but got back into music in recent years. Here's John Schneider performing Country Girls on a 1985 episode of Austin City Limits.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bud Powell

Artist:Bud Powell

Song:I Want To Be Happy

Album:Jazz Profile

This is another in my series of Jazz Classics for Beginners. The only requirements are a live performance video and a CD that is appropriate for beginners. Pianist Bud Powell is one of the most important figures in the development of modern jazz. He was there at the beginning of bebop in the 40s. His 50s Blue Note recordings is the best place to start. He was born Sept. 27, 1924 in Harlem, NY. His father was a stride pianist. Powell began classical piano lessons at age five. By age 10 he was interested in swing. He mimicked Fats Waller's playing style at a rent party. By age 15 Powell had a band with his older brother William Powell who played trumpet. His younger brother Richie Powell was also a jazz pianist. Powell heard Art Tatum on the radio and tried to match his technique. Powell started going to jazz clubs and that's where he met Thelonious Monk who mentored Powell and introduced him to other musicians. Powell played in several dance bands until he joined Cootie Williams' band in 1944. He made his first recordings with Williams. Then after a Jan. 1945 show in Philadelphia, Powell was apprehended as drunk by the transit police near Broad Street Station. They beat him and Powell was hospitalized for two months. Powell became a popular sideman until Charlie Parker chose him to play piano on a 1947 recording session. Then Powell got into a bar fight and was hit over the head with a bottle. He spent most of 1948 in a psychiatric hospital. Powell started recording in 1949 Blue Note, Mercury, Norgren and Clef. Powell's best known recordings were with Blue Note. I Want To Be Happy is from the 1953 album The Amazing Bud Powell Vol. 2. Musicians are George Duvivier on bass and Art Taylor on drums. I Want To Be Happy was written by Vincent Yeomans and Irving Caesar for the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette. After Benny Goodman and Ella Fitzgerald recorded it in 1937, the song became a jazz standard. After this album, Powell recorded for Verve and RCA. He returned to Blue Note in 1957. This budget comp is a good intro to Powell's Blue Note recordings. Powell moved with his wife and son to Paris in 1959. He recorded a couple of albums for Columbia and one for Reprise, But for the most part, Powell's health got worse from tuberculosis and he died on July 31, 1966 at age 41. Here's Bud Powell with Jean Marie Ingrand on bass Kenny Clarke on drums performing I Want To Be Happy July 1, 1961 at INA TV in Paris, France.

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Montserrat Rendon vs Tamires Vidal

Here's the match video of Montserrat Rendon vs Tamires Vidal from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Montserrat is 34 years old. She trains at ECR Fight Center in Cancun, Mexico. She has a 4-0 record and has fought in Invicta and Combate Global. Tamires is 25 years old. She trains at Team Brothers in Niteroi, Brazil. She won her UFC debut but her opponent was released after the fight. This fight was awful. Montserrat won by unanimous decision. But I don't think either belongs in the UFC. Check it out for yourself. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-MIZUKI vs Hannah Goldy

Here's the fight video of MIZUKI vs Hannah Goldy from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. MIZUKI is 29 years old from Toyohashi, Japan. She hasn't fought since 2000 due to knee problems. She trains at Serra Longo in New York but for this fight she trained in Japan. If she's healthy, MIZUKI can be a contender. Hannah is 29 years old from Tampa. She got into the UFC through Contender Series but she has done poorly in the UFC. After Hannah was knocked out by Molly McCann, it looked like she would quit fighting. But she got back into it. And the one thing I will say is she looks good. Hannah looks more muscular than MIZUKI. But during the fight, MIZUKI is clearly stronger than Hannah. She lands more strikes and controlled the clinch on the fence. So I scored it 30-27 for MIZUKI and she won by unanimous decision. I'd like to see her fight better competition. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Marina Rodriguez vs Michelle Waterson-Gomez

Here's the fight video of Marina Rodriguez vs Michelle Waterson-Gomez from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Marina won when these two fought a couple of years ago. A rematch seems unnecessary. Marina is 36 years old. She trains at Thai Brasil in Florianopolis, Brazil. The head coach is Marcio Malko. She's a striker. She is 6-3-2 in the UFC. She's ranked but she lost her last two fights. So a win could get her back in the title hunt. Michelle is 37 years old. She trains at Jackson Wink in New Mexico. She is 6-7 in the UFC and she's on a three fight losing streak. Why is she on the main card? Well, she's still a popular fighter. But she's getting old and it may be time to retire. And she's giving up a lot of size to Marina. Marina dominated in round one to the point where I thought the fight should have been stopped. And she did get a TKO finish in round two. Of course Marina thinks this gets her back in the title picture. I don't know if she can beat any of the top contenders. She had her chance and failed. I don't see how this win makes things different. Enjoy the video!

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bishop T.D. Jakes and the Potter's House Mass Choir

Artist:Bishop T.D. Jakes and the Potter's House Mass Choir

Song:It's Already Done

Album:A Wing and a Prayer

I think most folks have heard of Bishop T.D. Jakes. He leads this megachurch The Potter's House in Dallas. He also owns his own publishing and film production company. After he produced the 1997 film Woman, Thou Art Loosed!, he decided the film needed a soundtrack album. Both the film and soundtrack were successful in the gospel market. So along with all the books he writes and the films he produces, he decided to add music to his cottage industry which makes him millions. Jakes is not a musician. So he had to hire guys to run the choir and produce the albums. The choir director was Steve Lawrence. You'll see him in the video conducting the choir. Jakes signed with Don Moen's Integrity Music for the 1998 album Live from the Potter's House. The album producer was Steven Ford who had produced choirs since the late 70s. Jakes then started his own label Dexterity Sounds with EMI Gospel distribution. The idea for the 2001 album The Storm Is Over was to give the choir a more contemporary sound. So Kevin Bond was hired to produced. He worked with The Hawkins Family in the 80s. And that paid off when the single It's Already Done topped the gospel charts and appeared on the WOW Gospel 2004 comp. So the album A Wing and a Prayer did really well. The album is available as a budget CD and is recommended to gospel choir fans. Bond wrote It's Already Done. The lead singer Andretta Randle is a choir member. Darwin Hobbs and Israel Houghton make guest appearances. The Potter's House Choir was an active recording artist for a few years. They haven't been as active recently. They released an album last year but the previous album was released in 2011. Here's the video for It's Already Done by Bishop T.D. Jakes and the Potter's House Mass Choir. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-IYO Sky vs Asuka

Here's the match video of IYO SKY defending her WWE Women's Championship against Asuka from last night's episode of Smackdown. The only thing I didn't like about this match was Charlotte Flair shouldn't have been out there. The spotlight should be on IYO and Asuka. And of course Charlotte had to be involved in the finish which made the finish very flat. Other than that, the match was great but the outside interference at the end really hurt the match. And it makes it look like IYO needs help to keep the belt. Look, I didn't expect Asuka to win. I still think she will retire in 2024. It's her 20th year in pro wrestling. Give her a win at Wrestlemania. Induct her into the Hall of Fame. And then she can go home to Osaka and build her arcade video game shrine. Besides, she's been getting offers to design video games. She will be 42 years old in a few days. She's still in great shape. But she's done everything. It's time to go. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gerald & Tammi Haddon

Artist:Gerald & Tammi Haddon

Song:Awesome God

Album:#Us

Gospel music fans will be familiar with Gerald Haddon as the brother of gospel music superstar Dietrick Haddon. Both guys are equally talented. The big difference is Gerald prefers to remain behind the scenes writing and producing for others. And when he does release an album like this 2015 album #Us, the focus is on his singer wife Tammi. So even on the album cover, Gerald is in the background. Gerald Haddon grew up in Detroit. He first surfaced in the mid-90s playing keyboards with his brother Dietrick Haddon and Voices of Unity. He was also behind the 2000 album by his then wife Damita. That album was a big hit at the time. Haddon has produced Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Dave Hollister, Men of Standard, Patti LaBelle, Kierra Sheard, Sunday Best winner Crystal Aikin, Darwin Hobbs, Jason Champion, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Isaac Carree, James Fortune & FIYA, Tamar Braxton, and DeWayne Woods. He is also a member of The Soul Seekers and has worked with the related group Mary Mary and Erica Campbell's solo albums. As I said, this 2015 album is supposed to be a showcase for his wife Tammi Haddon. She frequently writes songs with Gerald and works on his projects in the studio. The album is available as a digital download. Gospel fans should check it out. Gerald still works mostly with his brother. Here's Gerald & Tammi Haddon performing Awesome God on the TBN show Praise.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Jim Brady Trio

 Artist:The Jim Brady Trio

Song:Lost

Album:Hope Keeps Writing the Song

So if you enjoy Southern Gospel music in what I will call the Bill Gaither style, you should enjoy the music of Jim Brady and his wife Melissa. Like many Southern Gospel artists, the Bradys began singing in their respective family gospel groups when they were kids. Brady was writing songs at age 16. Then he met and married Melissa and they toured with her family gospel group The Shulers for ten years. Then Brady got the opportunity to join the up and coming Southern Gospel act The Booth Brothers in 2002. He stayed with them for twelve years. While Brady was touring with The Booth Brothers, Melissa appeared with different groups. But by 2014, Brady decided to leave The Booth Brothers and form a new group with Melissa. They added a third member and called themselves The Jim Brady Trio. That third member was former Legacy Five pianist Tim Parton. They signed with Daywind Records and released the 2016 album Hope Keeps Writing the Song. But by the time the album was released, Parton left The Jim Brady Trio. They tried to find a replacement. The third singer in the video and on the album cover is not Tim Parton. When they were unable to find a third singer, they became Jim & Melissa Brady and the album was relreleased in 2019. There was no Parton on the cover or any mention of him. What happened with Parton? One industry journalist writing about Parton joining the group suggested that he doesn't stay in one place for very long. There are musicians who bounce around. Parton may be like that. Maybe Brady should have known about that. The album was produced by Daywind house producer Gordon Mote. After releasing a Christmas album, Jim & Melissa Brady rejoined The Booth Brothers last year. They have been on tour but no new album as yet. The Booth Brothers are on Gaither Music Group so they appear on Bill Gaither shows. Here's The Jim Brady Trio performing Lost at the Daywind studio in Nashville.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ollie & The Nightingales

Artist:Ollie & the Nightingales

Song:I Got a Sure Thing

Album:Stax 50: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

I Got a Sure Thing was the only chart single for the R&B vocal group Ollie & the Nightingales in 1968. They recorded briefly for Stax and split up in 1970. The leader of the group was Ollie Haskins billed as Ollie Nighingale. They started out in gospel music first as The Gospel Writer Juniors then as The Dixie Nightingales. Hoskins was lead singer. The other members were Willie Neal, Nelson Lesure, Bill Davis and Rochester Neal. After recording for Nashboro Records in the early 60s, The Dixie Nightingales moved to Stax's Chalice gospel label. After a few singles, Chalice GM Al Bell convinced Haskins that they could have success in secular music. They were renamed Ollie & the Nightingales. Willie Neal didn't like this and left. I Got a Sure Thing was the first single. It reached #17 on the R&B Singles chart and # 73 on the Billboard Hot 100. Booker T. Jones produced and wrote I Got a Sure Thing with Hoskins and William Bell. Then Stax had them record an album. There were two problems. Stax had ended their distribution deal with Atlantic. But Atlantic owned the rights to I Got a Sure Thing and it wasn't on the album. Also, Jones was replaced as producer by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Why? My guess is Jones was on tour and Stax didn't think the change would make any difference. But the album didn't sell and Hoskins left the group. The remaining members attempted to continue but were unsuccessful and went on to form The Ovations. Hoskins toured and recorded as Ollie Nightingale until his death on Oct. 26, 1997 at age 61. You can get I Got a Sure Thing on this Stax various artists comp. Here's Ollie Nightingale performing I Got a Sure Thing at the Poretta Soul Festival in Italy July 24, 1993.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Urge Overkill

Artist:Urge Overkill

Song:Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon

Album:Pulp Fiction: Music from the Motion Picture

Urge Overkill had their only chart single with this cover of Neil Diamond's Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon from the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. The problem was by the time the song was a hit, the band wasn't getting along and they soon split up. Nash Kato (real name-Nathan Kaatrud) and Eddie "King" Roeser met at Chicago's Northwestern University in 1985. Both sing, play guitar and write songs. It looks like the rest of the band membership was fluid. Guys were constantly coming and going. The name Urge Overkill comes from the Parliament song Funkentelechy. They released an EP in 1986 produced by Kato's friend and veteran producer Steve Albini. This was followed by the 1989 album Jesus Urge Superstar also produced by Albini. Urge Overkill's cover of Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon appeared on the 1992 EP Stull. It was around this time that they signed with Geffen Records and the single Sister Havana reached #6 on the Alternative Rock chart. So now they are starting to get somewhere. They toured opening for Pearl Jam. Then Quentin Tarantino used Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon in his 1994 film Pulp Fiction. The single reached #59 on the Billboard Hot 100. And of course the Pulp Fiction soundtrack was a big success. But during the recording of the 1995 album Exit the Dragon, Kato and Roeser weren't getting along. By the time the album was released, Roeser left and formed a couple of bands. Kato tried to keep Urge Overkill going and signed with Sony's 550 Music. But nothing came from that and Kato released a solo album in 2000. The Pulp Fiction soundtrack is available as a budget CD. Kato and Roeser reformed Urge Overkill in 2004. They toured and released an album in 2011. They continue to tour and released a new album last year. Here's the video for Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon by Urge Overkill.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Julie Fowlis

Artist:Julie Fowlis

Song:Into the Open Air

Album:Brave: Original Soundtrack

Scottish singer Julie Fowlis usually sings in Gaelic. But for the 2012 Disney Pixar film Brave, she sang a couple of songs in English. So I think it's fair to say that this was the most high profile project she has ever worked on. She was born June 20, 1979 in North Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The family spoke Gaelic in the home. Her parents owned a hotel. After her family moved to the mainland, Julie earned a BA in Applied Music at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. She also studied Gaelic and traditional Scottish music. She joined the all female band Dochas. The other members were music students at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Arts. While Dochas recorded a couple of albums and toured, Julie recorded a couple of solo albums that were highly acclaimed. Dochas recorded a third album in 2009. And then Julie recorded a couple more albums. And that's when she got the call to do the 2012 Disney Pixar film Brave. The film has a female protagonist and is set in Scotland. So rather than hire their usual composers like Randy Newman, Disney hired Scottish composer Patrick Doyle as he would capture the flavor of Scotland. The soundtrack album is mostly instrumental. But Julie sings two songs including Into the Open Air. Birdy sings a song with Mumford & Sons. And cast members Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson also sing. Into the Open Air was written by Brave director Mark Andrews and Alex Mandel. Since then, Julie has released a couple of albums on her own label. She appears regularly on BBC Radio Scotland. And she co-hosted the TV series Port covering Scottish and Irish music. She tours with her husband Eamon Doorley. Here's Julie Fowlis performing Into the Open Air from the 2012 film Brave.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Boy & Bear

Artist:Boy & Bear

Song:Southern Sun

Album:Harlequin Dream

The folk rock group Boy & Bear has had modest success in their native Australia. They are frequently compared to Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons. Boy & Bear started out as a solo project for singer songwriter Dave Hosking. He's from Sydney, Australia. After releasing a 2008 EP, he met guitarist Killian Gavin and they started jamming. From there, Hosking turned it into a band with brothers Jon (keyboards) and Tim (drums) Hart and Jake Tarasenko on bass. All knew each other from other local bands. After their 2009 self released single Mexican Mavis got local radio play, they got a record deal with Island in Australia. And that's when they started calling themselves Boy & Bear. This came from an internet name generator. While recording the 2011 album Moonfire, Boy & Bear toured Australia. The album reached #2 on the Australian chart and the single Feeding Line got radio play. It did well enough to get them an international record deal with Nettwerk Records. Meanwhile Tarasenko was replaced by David Symes. The 2013 album Harlequin Dream was the first in this new deal. The album and single Southern Sun did OK in Australia but not internationally. After three albums, Nettwerk and Island dropped Boy & Bear in 2019. They released an album independently in 2022. Boy & Bear should remind you of Fleet Foxes. They probably aren't distinctive enough to be an international success. But they should still do OK in Australia. Here's the video for Southern Sun by Boy & Bear. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Josefine Knutsson vs Marnic Mann

Here's the fight video of Josefine Knutsson vs Marnic Mann from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. After Cynthia Calvillo pulled out of her fight, Iasmine Lucindo was brought in to fight Elise. Both fighters were rebooked. Josefine was brought in to face Iasmine. She pulled out last week and was replaced by Marnic. I don't think either of them are very good. Josefine is 27 years old. She trains at Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden. She was on Dana White's Contenders Series a few weeks ago. She won the fight but she wasn't aggressive enough so she didn't get a contract. Josefine is a kickboxer. Marnic is 30 years old from Bozeman, MT. She trains at Montana Mixed Martial Arts. She lost on Dana White's Contenders Series last year. But we all know that some fighters get into the UFC by taking short notice fights. Marnic didn't look good here and Josefine won easily by unanimous decision. I didn't like that Josefine didn't get a finish. The fights don't get much easier than this. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tracy Cortez vs Jasmine Jasudavicius

Here's the fight video of Tracy Cortez vs Jasmine Jasudavicius from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Tracy is 29 years old from Phoenix. She trains at Fight Ready with Henry Cejudo. She's 4-0 in the UFC. I've liked her since I saw her in Invicta a few years ago. We haven't seen her for over a year as she had a torn pectoral muscle. Jasmine is 34 years old from St. Catherines, ON. She trains at Niagara Top Team. Her UFC record is 3-1. It became clear that Tracy is much quicker than Jasmine. So I was not surprised that Tracy won easily by unanimous decision. This win should get her ranked so we'll see how she does against better competition. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Loopy Godinez vs Elise Reed

Here's the fight video of Loopy Godinez vs Elise Reed from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Loopy was supposed to fight Sam Hughes. Elise was supposed to fight Cynthia Calvillo. After Sam and Cynthia pulled out, this fight was eventually put together. Loopy is 30 years old. She was born in Mexico but she trains in Coquitlam, BC. For this camp, she trained at Lobo in Guadalajara, Mexico with Alexa Grasso. Her UFC record is 5-3. Elise is 30 years old. She trains at Kickside Martial Arts in Princeton, NJ. Her UFC record is 3-3. I don't believe she belongs in the UFC. So though I'm not crazy about Loopy, I expected her to win easily. Loopy won round one 10-8. She should have got a finish with an armbar but Elise wouldn't tap out. But in round two, Loopy got the win with a rear naked choke. There's no question Elise is tough. But she's a lousy fighter and I would not be surprised to see her released this week. As for Loopy, until she beats a ranked fighter, I'm not sold on her. The UFC likes her because like Angela Hill, she'll take short notice fights. This fight didn't help. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko

Here's the fight video of Alexa Grasso defending her UFC Flyweight Championship against Valentina Shevchenko from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. The rematch is because Alexa needs to prove that her win wasn't a fluke. And Valentina wants to prove that it was a fluke. But will Valentina be more aggressive? As it turned out, it didn't matter because Alexa's win by submission in the first fight was a fluke. This fight was what I thought the first fight would be. It was close but neither of them came close to a finish. I scored the fight 48-47 for Alexa. Round four was probably the closest round. I gave Alexa rounds two, four and five. I gave Valentina rounds one and three. So why was it a draw? Based on the scores, Valentina should have won the fight 48-47. The judges scored rounds one, two and three the same as me. But in round four, Mike Bell and Sal D'Amato scored it 10-9 for Valentina and Junichiro Kamijo scored it 10-9 for Alexa. So even if all three judges scored round five 10-9 for Alexa, Valentina wins the fight 48-47. But Mike Bell inexplicably scored round five 10-8 for Alexa. This gives a new meaning to the term robbery. A draw means Alexa keeps the title. I don't know how he came up with 10-8. And we'll never know as the judges are not allowed to explain. So now we will get a third fight, right? Except Valentina broke her hand. And I don't expect the UFC to put off either Erin Blanchfield or Manon Fiorot. So we may never see a third fight between these two. Check out the video for yourself and see if round five is a 10-8.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dermot Kennedy

Artist:Dermot Kennedy

Song:Power Over Me

Album:Without Fear: Deluxe Edition

Irish singer songwriter Dermot Kennedy has had success mostly in England. In the US. it looks like he will be an album and touring act. He hasn't crossed over to pop yet. He was born Dec. 13,1991 in Rathcoole, County Dublin, Ireland. He started playing guitar at age ten and songwriting as a teen. He studied classical music at Maynooth University and performed in local clubs. After uploading songs to Spotify, he released an album on a local label. This led to a record deal with Island in England and Interscope in the US. After releasing a 2017 EP, the album Without Fear was released in 2019. The album topped the Irish and British chart and reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 200. Singles like Power Over Me and Outnumbered did well in Ireland but not as well elsewhere. This is why I expect Kennedy to have success as an album and touring act. Mainstream success is likely to elude him. Power Over Me reached #11 in Ireland. Outnumbered topped the Irish charts. It reached #5 on Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay chart. This indicates that Interscope knows that Kennedy appeals to an older audience. Kennedy writes his own songs usually with a producer. His main producer is Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk who has had success producing Dua Lipa. They wrote and produced Power Over Me with Scott Harris who has produced Shawn Mendes. The Deluxe Edition of Without Fear has four bonus tracks and is available as a budget CD. Kennedy released his second album Sonder in 2022. He continues to work with Koz and Harris. He continues to have success in Ireland. But he may need to change things up if he wants to expand his fanbase. Here's the video for Power Over Me by Dermot Kennedy. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Bayley

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Bayley from last night's episode of Smackdown. This is supposed to set up nest week's WWE Women's Championship match between the champ IYO SKY and the challenger Asuka. IYO was not there. Bayley said that IYO was training for the match and also said she was upset that IYO challenged Asuka to a match. Commentary tried to sell this as dissention within Damage Cntrl. Considering that they should have split up already, I'm not buying it. The match was OK. Obviously Asuka won. The big surprise finish was when Shotzi appeared and distracted Bayley. Asuka won with a backslide of all things. Then Shotzi tried to fist bump Asuka. They cut away so we don't know if Asuka reciprocated. With Bayley and Shotzi involved, I don't expect a clean finish next week. I expect convoluted nonsense that will piss me off. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Keith Urban

Artist:Keith Urban

Song:For You

Album:The Story So Far

For You was a top ten country hit in 2012. It is from the soundtrack of the 2012 film Act of Valor. As far as I can tell, this is the only time Keith Urban recorded a song for a film. And it's not on one of his own albums. So that means it's a discography orphan. So Urban completists will want to find this song. At the time, Urban was working on his 2013 album Fuse. Act of Valor is a 2012 film directed by Mouse McCoy and Scott Waugh and written by Kurt Johnstad. The studio was Relativity Media and the soundtrack was released on Relativity's record label. The appeal of this film is it stars active duty U.S. Navy SEALs and U.S. Navy Combatant-craft Crewmen. The best known actor in the film was Roselyn Sanchez. I never heard of the film and it's not the sort of film I would normally watch. But I can tell you that despite mostly negative reviews, the film made money. The score was composed by Nathan Furst. The soundtrack album is all country music artists. Sometimes the composer compiles the soundtrack. But in this case, it was veteran soundtrack coordinator Jason Markey. He asked Urban if he was interested in writing a song for the film. He screened the film for Urban and frequent collaborator Monty Powell and they wrote and produced For You. The song played over the end credits of the film. All proceeds from the single were donated to the Navy SEAL Foundation. For You reached #6 on the Country Singles chart. The song was nominated for a Best Original Song Golden Globe. As I said, Urban has never released For You on one of his own albums. The soundtrack album is available and other artists on the album include Sugarland, Jake Owen and Trace Adkins. But I recommend this 2012 Keith Urban budget comp. It is the most recent Urban comp. So that is the story of another discography orphan. Here's the video for For You by Keith Urban. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lauren Talley

Artist:Lauren Talley

Song:Glorious God

Album:Glorious God

Lauren Talley grew up in Southern Gospel. She sang with her parents and since they retired, she has gone solo. She was born Dec. 11, 1983 in Nashville. Her parents are Roger and Debra Talley and they started The Talleys with Roger's brother Kirk Talley in 1984. Lauren was on the road with them as a child and sometimes appeared with them. The Talleys disbanded in 1993 so Lauren could go to high school like a normal teenager. But she wanted to go back on the road. So her parents reformed The Talleys in 1996 with Lauren as lead singer. Southern Gospel is mostly aimed at an older audience and it's unusual to see a young singer stay with it. They will migrate to CCM. Lauren has recorded solo albums since 2001 with Horizon Records which is the label her parents are on. It is only since her parents retired in 2020 that she has established herself as a solo act with the 2019 album Glorious God. She hasn't strayed too far from the Southern Gospel formula. She has a great voice but her music is standard Southern Gospel. She does tour with Bill Gaither and appear on his TV shows. But I would have thought she might try to appeal to a younger audience, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in Southern Gospel. Glorious God is available as a digital download. Here's the video for Glorious God by Lauren Talley. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Creed

Artist:Creed

Song:With Arms Wide Open

Album:Greatest Hits

With Arms Wide Open topped the charts in 2000. It was the biggest hit for Creed. I would describe their music as post grunge with Christian leanings. Timing had a lot to do with their success. Creed was formed in 1994 in Tallahassee, FL. Lead singer Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti were high school classmates and they both attended Florida State University. They started writing together and decided to start a band. Stapp's stepfather was a Pentecostal minister so that's where the Christian leanings come from. The rest of the band was Brian Marshall on bass and Scott Phillips on drums. Stapp and Tremonti wrote all the songs. They started performing locally as Naked Toddler which Tremonti got from a newspaper headline. After negative response to the band name, Marshall said he used to be in a band called Mattox Creed. Stapp changed the name to Creed. Club owner Jeff Hanson became Creed's manager and he asked his friend and producer John Kurzweg to work with them. They released the 1997 album My Own Prison independently. When Wind Up Records co-owner Diana Meltzer heard the album, she signed Creed and rereleased the album. I think it's fair to say that Creed was Wind Up's biggest success. The album did very well on the Mainstream Rock chart and it was certified 6XPlatinum. Creed was named Rock Artist of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards. The 1999 album Human Clay did even Better. With Arms Wide Open topped the Billboard Hot 100. the album was certified 11XPlatinum. Stapp wrote With Arms Wide Open after learning he would be a father. While recording the 2001 album Weathered, Marshall was having alcohol problems which led to him leaving Creed. There were also constant comparisons to Pearl Jam like Creed isn't as good as them. My criticism of Creed is similar to my criticism of Nickelback. I don't like either lead singer. It's funny how both bands are successful and hated at the same time. There's even a new documentary about Nickelback about that. All this negative stuff and Stapp wasn't getting along with Tremonti led to Creed's split in 2004. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. Stapp has recorded three solo album. The rest of the band formed Alter Bridge. Creed reunited and released an album in 2009. They started recording a new album. But it was shelved and they went on hiatus. Stapp was pushing for another reunion. And recently Creed announced a 2024 Summer of 99 Cruise from Apr. 27-May 1. They will play two shows. There will be other bands as well. It looks like a one shot deal to me. Here's the video for With Arms Wide Open by Creed. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Nite-Liters

Artist:The Nite-Liters

Song:K-Jee

Album:This Is Funk

Music fans and especially R&B fans should be familiar with the 70s band The New Birth and hits like I Can Understand It and Dream Merchant. But you may not know that they started out as the instrumental band The Nite-Liters and they scored an R&B hit with the 1971 single K-Jee. The guys behind The Nite-Liters were Harvey Fuqua and his partner Vernon Bullock. Fuqua was an R&B legend first as leader of the doo wop group The Moonglows and then as a Motown producer. Fuqua wrote and produced all the music for The New Birth. The other founding member was saxophonist Tony Churchill. The Nite-Liters released a couple of singles in the 60s. Then they signed with RCA Records in 1970. The album The Nite-Liters was released in 1970 followed by the 1971 album Morning, Noon & The Nite-Liters. The single K-Jee reached #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #17 on the R&B Singles chart. It was a surprise hit. Fuqua produced K-Jee and wrote it with guitarist Charles Hearndon. You can get K-Jee on this 3CD various artists comp from the British label Union Square. Then Bullock added singer Allan Frye and called the new group The New Birth. At first they were going to keep both bands going. But then Bullock added brothers Leslie and Melvin Wilson and Ann Bogan of the group Love, Peace and Happiness. They decided to end The Nite-Liters and just have one band. So I guess it could be said that K-Jee is a forgotten funk classic. Here's The Nite-Liters performing K-Jee. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Landon Pigg

Artist:Landon Pigg

Song:Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop

Album:The Boy Who Never

The 2007 single Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop became very popular with females after TV usage. It is to date the only chart single for singer songwriter Landon Pigg. I think it's one of those songs that is liked but listeners have no idea who sings it. Pigg was born Aug. 6, 1983 in Nashville. He grew up in the music business. His father Gary Pigg is a veteran Nashville session singer. He works mostly on commercials and has worked with BJ Thomas and Amy Grant. Pigg's family moved to the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, IL where his dad owned a commercial production company. Pigg attended high school in Nashville. He raised money through YouTube to record the 2002 album Demonstration. And this eventually got him a record deal with RCA. The Boy Who Never was his second album in 2007. RCA promoted Pigg by having him perform on the late night talk shows and place songs in shows like Grey's Anatomy. This is very common promotion strategy these days. Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop appeared in a couple of TV commercials. Enough listeners downloaded the song that it reached #13 on the Adult Contemporary chart. So this strategy worked...to a point. Landon wrote Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop. He sometimes writes with co-writers. Most of The Boy Who Never was produced by recording engineer Jacquire King. Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop was produced by CCM producers Ian Fitchuk and Justin Loucks. It was recorded in Nashville and sent to LA for a remix by Eric Ivan Rosse and Chris Reynolds. This album is available as a budget CD. Though he has released a couple of singles and still performs live, Pigg hasn't released an album since The Boy Who Never. He has worked in the studio with CCM artists so maybe that's in his future. Here's the video for Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Artist:King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

Song:Gamma Knife

Album:Nonagon Infinity

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (KGLW) is very popular in their native Australia. With international touring and being on a major label, KGLW's neo psychedelia has gained a cult following in North America. The leader of KGLW is Stu McKenzie. He's the lead singer and he writes all the songs. The other members are Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Joey Walker, Cook Craig, Lucas Harwood and Michael Cavanagh. Harwood plays bass and Cavanagh plays drums. The others play various instruments. They are from Melbourne, Australia and most of them were students at RMIT University. The name is a spinoff of Jim Morrison's nickname The Lizard King. At first they released garage rock on their own label. But they transitioned to a neo psychedelic sound. The turning point for KGLW came when they signed with Dave Matthews' ATO label and started touring internationally. Gamma Knife is from their 2016 album Nonagon Infinity. McKenzie writes and produces everything. They released five albums in 2017. Apparently they had some leftover songs and they decided to record everything. They continue to release plenty of music mostly on their own label. They have released 24 studio albums and plenty of live bootlegs. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard is the kind of band that has a cult following called The Gizzverse. So if that's what you want, they could be for you. Here's the video for Gamma Knife by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.

   

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sammy Nestico and the SWR Big Band

Artist:Sammy Nestico and the SWR Big Band

Song:Blue Samuel

Album:Fun Time

Composer and arranger Sammy Nestico Was best known for his days with Count Basie in the 70s. For the most part, he was an arranger and conductor for hire. Nestico recorded several albums at the end of his career in Germany with the SWR Big Band. He was born Feb. 6, 1924 in Pittsburgh. His parents were Italian immigrants. He became obsessed with big band music as a child while listening to the radio. Tommy Dorsey was his favorite so Nestico started playing trombone in high school. At age 17 he joined the orchestra at Pittsburgh radio station WCAE. He learned to arrange by analyzing recordings and eventually became staff arranger. Nestico joined Charlie Barnet's trombone section and worked on his arranger. But his mother asked him to come home and study music at Duquesne University. After graduating in 1950, Nestico joined the US Air Force and led the United States Air Force Band  from 1950-63. Then he became director of the United States Marine Band until he became a freelance arranger in 1967. That's when he started working for Count Basie. His first album as composer and arranger was the 1968 album Basie Straight Ahead. Nestico worked for Basie until Basie's 1984 death. Four of Nestico's arrangements earned Grammy awards. After Basie's death, Nestico worked as a freelance arranger in films, TV and commercials. And he also worked for Quincy Jones, Phil Collins, Barbra Streisand and many others. Nestico recorded his first album as a leader in 1982. Probably his most high profile recording was the 2000 album Basie & Beyond with Quincy Jones and an all star big band. The 2009 album Fun Time was the third of five albums that Nestico recorded with the SWR Big Band in Germany. This band is run by Germany's public broadcaster SWR. So they are on TV all the time. Nestico wrote, arranged and conducted the album. Nestico recorded his final album in 2017 and died on Jan. 17, 2021 at age 96. Here's Sammy Nestico and the SWR Big Band performing Blue Samuel at the 2009 Jazz Open Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany. Solos are by Klaus-Peter Schopfer on guitar, Andreas Maile, Axel Kuhn on tenor sax, Marc Godfroid on trombone and Klaus Wagenleiter on piano.

  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Shotzi and Charlotte Flair vs IYO Sky and Bayley

Here's the match video of Shotzi and Charlotte Flair vs IYO Sky and Bayley from last night's episode of Smackdown. This is the kind of pointless timewaster that the WWE wouldn't be doing anymore if they had split up Damage Ctrl after Money In The Bank as they should have. For one thing, the Shotzi vs Bayley stuff is some of the dumbest stuff I have seen on WWE TV in a long time. Shotzi is a terrible wrestler. I understand they like her tank and her look. But there has to be more to her than that and there isn't. The only thing I liked about this match was the finish when Asuka was given a title shot in two weeks. At least that will be a good match. On commentary, they were saying how IYO is upset about all the Rhea Ripley talk. She's a champ too. Well, they have booked her poorly. A high quality IYO vs Asuka match should get fans talking about both of them. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Utah Saints

Artist:Utah Saints f/Kate Bush

Song:Something Good

Album:Utah Saints

Fans of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) are probably already familiar with Utah Saints and their signature song Something Good which was a worldwide dance club hit in 1992. Today Utah Saints are considered to be pioneers in EDM especially their use of samples. The Utah Saints started as British DJs Jez Willis and Keith Langley. They met at Mix Nightclub in Harrowgate. They were part of the group The Cassandra Complex. Then they formed MDMA (Mega Dance Metal Allegiance). After a couple of singles, Willis and Langley added Tim Garbutt and formed Utah Saints. Langley left after the first album. They hired musicians to play live. The Utah Saints signed with London Records and their debut single What Can You Do for Me reached #10 on the British Singles chart. The second single Something Good did even better. It reached #4 on the British Singles chart. The album was certified Silver in England. Something Good was very popular in dance clubs worldwide. The main sample of Kate Bush's Cloudbusting including her vocal. Something Good charted again when the Australian group Van She released a remix in 2008. It reached #8 on the British Singles chart. Utah Saints released the album Two in 2000 and they have released occasional singles, most recently in 2013. They still work together but not as Utah Saints. Here's the video for Something Good by Utah Saints. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Glass Bottle

Artist:The Glass Bottle

Song:I Ain't Got Time Anymore

Album:I Ain't Got Time Anymore

Here's a song you have probably heard on oldies radio but you know nothing about it. That's why I'm here. I know everything. I Ain't Got Time Anymore was a top 40 hit in 1972. And then they disappeared. I think the intention was for The Glass Bottle to be a group. But by the time I Ain't Got Time Anymore was released, it wasn't a group anymore. The lead singer and main guy behind The Glass Bottle was Gary Criss. He started out as leader of Gary Criss and his Crystals. He recorded several singles for Diamond Records in the early 60s. He met Dickie Goodman in 1969 and they decided to start a group. Goodman was best known for novelty records like The Flying Saucer. He worked a lot with ad agencies. In this case, he had a deal with a PR firm trying to prevent soda pop companies from switching to plastic bottles. That's why the group was called The Glass Bottle. Three other singers were recruited but it looks it was only intended as a studio group. The 1970 album was on AVCO Embassy Records which was a film studio. The record company was run by former RCA producers Hugo & Luigi. Artists on the label included The Stylistics and Van McCoy. Goodman and Bill Ramal produced and arranged the album. It looks like The Glass Bottle's 1972 album I Ain't Got Time Anymore was really a Gary Criss solo album. The title song reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by the British songwriting team of Mike Leander and Eddie Seago for Cliff Richard. That was a hit in England. And that was it for The Glass Bottle. Two other songs charted so they are not a one hit wonder. I Ain't Got Time Anymore is still a popular oldie. The album is available as a digital download. Criss went on to record disco music. He is now in the antique auto business. Here's a video for I Ain't Got Time Anymore by The Glass Bottle.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eleanor Friedberger

Artist:Eleanor Friedberger

Song:When I Knew

Album:Personal Record

Singer songwriter Eleanor Friedberger is best known as one half of the indie duo The Fiery Furnaces with older brother Matthew Friedberger. After ten years together, The Fiery Furnaces went on hiatus in 2011. Both have recorded solo albums. Eleanor was born Sept. 2, 1976 in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, IL. Eleanor's grandmother was a musician and choir director at a Greek Orthodox church. After graduating from the University of Texas, she formed The Fiery Furnaces with Matthew. They were successful as an album and touring band. But after ten years on the road, they decided to go on hiatus in 2011. Eleanor signed with Merge Records and released two albums. When I Knew is from the 2014 album Personal Record. This was Eleanor's second album. Eleanor wrote the songs with Wesley Stace who performs and records as John Wesley Harding. Eleanor's first two albums were produced by Eric Broucek. He is a producer and recording engineer and a one time member of LCD Soundsystem. For her 2016 album New View, Eleanor moved to upstate New York and switched to Frenchkiss Records. She self produced New View and the 2017 album Rebound. The Fiery Furnaces announced in 2020 that they were reforming and they signed with Jack Black's Third Man Records. They were supposed to perform at the 2020 Pitchfork Music Festival but that was cancelled due to the pandemic. They released a single in June 2020 but no new album as yet. They have been touring. Here's the video for When I Knew by Eleanor Friedberger. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tinariwen

Artist:Tinariwen

Song:Tenere Taqhim Tossam

Album:Tassili: Limited Edition

Desert blues is a mix of music from the Sahara with Western music elements. Legendary Malian musician Ali Farka Toure invented desert blues. Since his 2006 death, Tinariwen have been the standard bearers of desert blues. The 2011 album Tassili won a Best World Music Album Grammy. The leader of Tinariwen is Ibrahim Ag Alhabib. He is an Algerian refugee who formed Tinariwen with Alhassane Ag Touhami and brothers Inteyeden and Liya Ag Ablil. The name Tinariwen translates to "desert boys". The band played at parties and weddings. The turning point for Tinariwen came when French band Lo'Jo brought some of them to France to perform. Tinariwen started touring worldwide and signed with the British label Independent Records. These albums were released worldwide and fans included Carlos Santana, Robert Plant, Bono and especially the band TV on the Radio. This led to a record deal with Virgin in Europe and the roots music label ANTI- in the US. The 2011 album Tassili was the first album of this new deal. The album was produced by World Music specialist Ian Brennan. Special guests were Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio, jazz guitarist Nels Cline and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. As I said, the album won a Best World Music Album Grammy. The Limited Edition has four bonus tracks and is available as a budget CD. Tinariwen played all the big music festivals, appeared on The Colbert Report and Bono joined them on stage at one show. Of course there has been political pressure at home for Tinariwen to stop. And they even escaped to the California desert for a while. Tinariwen currently records for their own label. They released a new album in May. Here's the video for Tenere Taqhim Tossam by Tinariwen. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Helen Sung

Artist:Helen Sung f/Paquito D'Rivera

Song:Armando's Rhumba

Album:Anthem for a New Day

Since she won the 2007 Mary Lou Williams Jazz Piano Competition, jazz pianist Helen Sung has recorded several albums as a leader. She's from Houston. Her parents are Taiwanese immigrants. Helen started studying classical piano at age nine and she attended Houston's High School for the Performing Arts. She earned classical piano degrees at the University of Texas at Austin. The story goes that one day she heard Harry Connick Jr. play piano. That gave her a big jolt and she switched to jazz. Helen studied at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance and the New England Conservatory of Music. She moved to New York and played with Clark Terry, Terri Lyne Carrington, Wayne Shorter, Jon Faddis and she was a member of the Mingus Big Band. She also recorded a couple of albums for the Spanish label Fresh Sounds. After winning the 2007 Mary Lou Williams Jazz Piano Competition, Helen has released several albums on Sunnyside Records. Helen's interpretation of the Chick Corea standard Armando's Rhumba is from the 2014 album Anthem for a New Day. This is Helen's only album on Concord. Special guest Paquito D'Rivera plays clarinet. Other musicians are Seamus Blake on sax, Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, Reuben Rogers on bass, Obed Calvaire on drums and Samuel Torres on percussion. Other special guests are are John Ellis on bass clarinet and violinist Regina Carter. She continues to work with those two on her latest album Quartet+. This 2021 album marks Helen's return to Sunnyside and features special guest The Harlem Quartet string quartet. Many jazz musicians started with classical training but Helen's classical influence is more apparent than most. Here's Helen Sung performing Armando's Rhumba at Seattle radio station KPLU.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lesley Ann Warren

Artist:Lesley Ann Warren

Song:In My Own Little Corner

Album:Cinderella: Original 1965 TV Soundtrack

Though Lesley Ann Warren has had a long career in films and TV, her most memorable appearance was the title role in the 1965 TV adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Cinderella. She's had other starring roles. But by the 80s she was more of a supporting player. She was born Aug. 16, 1946 in New York City. She attended the High School of Music and Art and studied dance at the School of American Ballet. At age 17, she was the youngest applicant accepted into the famed acting school The Actors Studio. She made her Broadway debut in the 1963 musical 110 in the Shade. Then she won the hotly contested leading role in the 1965 TV production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Cinderella. Lesley was 19 years old. Cinderella was the first musical produced for TV in 1957 starring Julie Andrews. That was in black and white. So it's not surprising that CBS wanted to remake it in color. Lesley sure had big shoes to fill. But there was a great cast led by Celeste Holm as The Fairy Godmother. In My Own Little Corner was Lesley's only solo performance in the show. The soundtrack is available as a digital download and the show can be streamed on Amazon Prime. Since then Lesley has had a long acting career. But she's never been a star. She sang in two films. The first was the 1967 film The Happiest Millionaire. The second was the 1982 film Victor Victoria for which she was Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress. By the 80s she doing mostly supporting roles in films like the 1984 films Choose Me and Songwriter. And on TV she was doing guest shots and TV movies. She's still around but she should have been a much bigger star. Here's Lesley Ann Warren performing In My Own Little Corner of the World on the 1965 TV production of Cinderella.